The OVA Athlete Development Pathway

By Ontario Volleyball Association, 01/24/19, 2:00PM EST

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Do you know the OVA Athlete Development Pathway?

The OVA Athlete Development Pathway is the structure that is in place to accelerate the development of club volleyball players in Ontario. It is meant to complement the training provided by OVA clubs and offers progressive development opportunities to athletes from 14U to 18U.

The OVA Athlete Development programs are aligned with the Volleyball Canada pathway as it aims at producing athletes that will represent Canada internationally as part of a National Team.

Curriculum: The programs of the OVA Athlete Development Pathway are designed to deliver the content of the Volleyball Canada Athlete Development Framework. The four dimensions of athlete development are addressed in each stage of the pathway: Technical/Tactical, Physical, Psychological, Life Skills

Skills vs Age: Athletes are selected to programs based on their skill level, not their age. Age may be a limiting factor in a program based on the competition (ie: Canada Games are 18U)

Discipline Integration: Beach and indoor volleyball are integrated at the lower end of the Train to Train stage as athletes are still exploring sports. Specialization happens once athletes transition into the Learn to Train stage as per LTAD principles

Competition: Competition is gradually introduced in the pathway. At first, athletes are competing provincially. They they progress to the national and international stages.

Sport Science Support: The OVA works with experts in the fields of physical training, mental training, nutrition and physical therapy. Partners such as the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario and Mettle Sports Training help deliver this component

Stages and Programs

The pathway is designed in a way to gradually expose athletes to the challenges of high performance volleyball and to give them a chance to discover what their strengths are. Team Ontario Regional Programand Team Ontario White integrate both indoor and beach volleyball in a shorter program. They focus on the importance of general skill building at that stage of development.

HPCand Team Ontario Red are focused on the development of advanced volleyball skills and their application in a competitive environment. Both beach and indoor volleyball are available to athletes at this level as they may still be exploring both disciplines.

Team Ontario Blackis focused on the development of performance and is designed around the team’s participation at the US High Performance Championships. It is a first introduction to international competition for Team Ontario athletes. At this level, athletes commit to either indoor or beach volleyball depending on their aspirations as elite athletes.

Team Ontario Elite (indoor) and the Full Time Training Group(beach), are focused on supporting athletes on an on-going basis. They include the delivery of sport science services to athletes and the exposure to international volleyball in order to prepare them for the requirements of post-secondary and national team training. Athletes at this level are focused on one discipline.